Egypt in 8 Days: Budget Nile Cruise & Red Sea Escape

Enjoy your breakfast at the hotel and spend a free day exploring Hurghada at your own pace, taking in the beautiful Red Sea scenery and city attractions. Overnight at your Hurghada hotel.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Soft Drinks

Overnight: Hurghada Hotel

In the morning, after breakfast and check-out from your hotel in Hurghada, you will be picked up by a private air-conditioned vehicle and transferred to Luxor to continue your Hurghada and Nile Cruise tour. Upon arrival, you will meet your Egyptologist tour guide to explore Luxor tourist attractions starting with Karnak Temple, the magnificent religious complex that served as a spiritual center for over 2,000 years, from the start of the Middle Kingdom to the end of the Ptolemaic period. The temple is dedicated to several gods, especially the Theban Triad: Mut, Montu, and Amun-Ra, and is known as the "Most Selected of Places" in the heart of Thebes. It is considered one of the largest and most impressive open-air museums in the world.

After the tour, you will check in to a 5* deluxe Nile Cruise for lunch and some relaxation.

In the evening, you will visit Luxor Temple, a stunning temple reflecting royal power and divinity. Known as the Southern Sanctuary, it was built around 1400 BC to celebrate the rejuvenation of kingship and hosted the coronation ceremonies of many New Kingdom pharaohs. Pharaohs like Amenhotep III, Tutankhamun, and Ramses II contributed to the expansion of this magnificent temple.

Dinner and overnight stay will be onboard the cruise.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: Onboard the Nile Cruise

After breakfast on your cruise, you will be accompanied by your private Egyptologist tour guide and travel by private air-conditioned vehicle to explore Luxor West Bank starting with the Valley of the Kings, the royal underground resting place of New Kingdom pharaohs. This divine site contains around 63 tombs of legendary rulers and powerful nobles from the Eighteenth to Twentieth Dynasties and offers incredible insight into ancient Egyptian mythology and religious beliefs.

Next, you will visit Queen Hatshepsut Temple, the magnificent mortuary temple built in 1479 BC to honor the gods, especially Amun, and immortalize the glorious legacy of Queen Hatshepsut. Its architectural beauty is considered one of the greatest achievements of the New Kingdom.

You will then see the Colossi of Memnon, two enormous statues of Pharaoh Amenhotep III, originally part of a complete mortuary temple. Made from massive blocks of quartzite sandstone transported over 700 km to Luxor, these statues were eternal guardians of the pharaoh, dedicated to his wife Tiye, mother Mutemwiya, and the Nile God Hapi. Damaged and rebuilt multiple times during the Greco-Roman period, they remain a majestic symbol of ancient Egyptian artistry.

In the afternoon, the cruise will sail toward Esna and Edfu, while you enjoy lunch and dinner onboard.

Overnight stay will be onboard the cruise in Edfu.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: Onboard the Nile Cruise

After breakfast on board, you will continue your Hurghada and Nile Cruise vacation with visits to some of the most extraordinary Upper Egypt temples.

Start with Edfu Temple, the majestic house of myth and the victory of Horus, constructed during the Ptolemaic era (237–57 BC) between the reigns of Ptolemy III Euergetes and Ptolemy XII Auletes. This remarkably preserved temple offers a fascinating insight into the mythology, language, and religious practices of the period, including the legendary battle between Horus and Seth.

Next, visit Kom Ombo Temple, an extraordinary double temple built in the Ptolemaic dynasty (180–47 BC) dedicated to Sobek, the crocodile god of fertility, and Horus the Elder. Its unique architecture and carvings also reveal ancient medical knowledge and the scientific advancements of the time.

The cruise will continue sailing toward Aswan, with a late-night arrival. Lunch and dinner will be served on board.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: Onboard the Nile Cruise in Aswan

After breakfast, begin your guided tour to explore some of Aswan’s top attractions.

Visit the High Dam, the monumental structure built in the 1960s to control the Nile’s annual flooding and generate electricity for Egypt.

Next, see the Unfinished Obelisk, located in the northern Aswan stone quarry. Commissioned by Queen Hatshepsut Temple (1508–1458 BC), it was intended to be the largest obelisk ever constructed and offers a fascinating look into the ancient Egyptians’ stone-working techniques.

Continue to Philae Temple, the magnificent sanctuary of Isis, mother of Horus. Built by Pharaoh Nectanebo I (380–362 BC), the temple tells the legendary story of Osiris and was relocated to Agilkia Island in the 1970s as part of the UNESCO Nubia Rescue Project, along with the Abu Simbel Temples.

Return to your cruise for lunch, dinner, and overnight.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: Onboard the Nile Cruise in Aswan

After breakfast, check out from the cruise and board the 1st class train to Qena. Upon arrival, you will be transferred by a private air-conditioned vehicle back to your hotel in Hurghada for overnight stay.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Soft Drinks
Overnight: Hurghada Hotel

After breakfast, you will be transferred from your hotel in Hurghada to Hurghada Airport to catch your flight back home.

Meals: Breakfast